Lionel Messi has reportedly chosen Marcelo Bielsa to replace Quique Setien and the next Barcelona manager.
The Argentine coach has earned a lot of praise for leading Leeds back to the Premier League for the first time in 16 years.
Setien is under pressure at the Nou Camp after the Catalan club surrendered the La Liga title to rival Real Madrid.
Bielsa’s contract with Leeds ends this week and the 64-year-old still has to agree on a new deal.
According to The Sun, Messi has now told Barca bosses to try to take advantage of the situation by offering Bielsa an offer to move to Spain.
(Image: PA)
Messi recently met Barca’s below-average stars and described the current number of players as “weak and unpredictable”.
The 33-year-old even suggested that Barca would leave the Champions League after the upcoming round of 16 against Napoli.
His outbreak is not a good sign for Setien, who has had difficulties improving the club’s assets since he was replaced by Ernesto Valverde in January.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
A defeat against Napoli could surely mean the end of his short time at the club and open the door for Bielsa.
Setien will be transferred to Barcelona until the end of next season, despite the club’s upcoming presidential elections, which threaten him with the possibility of ending his term earlier.
The candidate Victor Font has already announced his intention to appoint the former Barca midfielder Xavi to the role of manager if he is elected president.
Xavi was connected to the hot seat until he signed a new contract with the current club Al-Sadd in Qatar.
Instead, Messi hopes Bielsa will test himself in Barcelona.
The 64-year-old has only worked on one-year contracts in Leeds and is expected to sign a new contract of this length to lead her back to the top group in her first campaign.
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